Types of guitars

A guitar is a musical instrument that resembles a lute. The contemporary guitar has six strings. To play a guitar one has to pluck the string with the finger or strum it with a pick. The older version of the guitar had a couple of strings similar to lute. The most remarkable feature of a guitar is that it has a slender waist like that of lass, besides having a flat back. Its neck is fretted. Apart from 6-string guitar, the other popular types of guitars are:

• 12-stringed guitar
• Bass guitar
• Steel guitar
• Lefty guitar
• Electric guitar
• 4-stringed bass guitar
• Acoustic guitar
• Vintage guitar

The conventional or the classical guitars have come from Spain. Though they were created in the 12th century, they became popular in the 16th century and music was composed especially for them. The maestro, Fernando Sor composed music exclusively for the guitar. In the 19th century Francisco Tarrega, took the popularity of the guitar to dizzy heights.

A common misconception regarding the guitar is that it is associated with the modern generation. Nothing can be far from truth. Archaeologists have unearthed clay plaques with figures playing instruments quite like the guitar. Evidently, the origin of the guitar can be traced to 1900-1800 BC.

Another interesting thing discovered about the guitar is that it has succeeded the harp, played in ancient Egypt. Over the years the harp has been modified from a bow-shaped string instrument to the one that looks like the guitar. The guitar, too, has seen many changes because of the influence of various countries. It has been gaining more and more popularity with every passing century.

Today, the guitar is the most important instrument in performing arts. It has become the favorite instrument all over the world. Not only has the technology improved tremendously but the reach of media has crossed all boundaries. The credit of spreading guitar music all across the world goes to the advancements in the field of communication, such as the television, satellite communications, Internet, recording studios and radios. Now people sitting in their homes can enjoy a concert happening anywhere in the world. What's more, there are more innovations coming up every day and more people are getting interested in all aspects of music like composing and recording. A favorite of the young and old alike, the guitar is a symbol of this growing interest in music.

Joueur Guitarre is the owner and webmaster of LP Guitar, Inc., a leading Internet portal for guitar information. For more guitar information and resources, be sure to visit: http://www.lpguitar.com